Source: AllAfrica.comPress ReleasePresence of other rebel groups in region, in combination with other threats against great apes, still pose potential harm to the endangered species. After more than a year and a half in conflict against the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the M23 rebel group has announced it will disband and disarm, paving the way for peace in eastern Congo. The recent events are a positive sign not only for people, but also for the endangered mountain gorilla, whose habitat has inadvertently served as home base and occasional battlefield for the rebel group. "The disbanding of the M23 rebel group will mean one less threat to the mountain gorilla, and that is a very positive thing," remarked Jef Dupain, director of the Great Apes Program for the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF). "We must remain vigilant, however, as a few dozen rebel groups are still thought to operate in this area. The potential for conflict, in addition to the other threats that great apes face, means that ensuring stabilization of the mountain gorilla population must remain a priority for conservation groups and the region's governments." Only about 880 mountain gorillas exist in the world, and all live in Africa's Virunga mountain range--where DRC, Uganda, and Rwanda meet--and Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This part of Africa is particularly rich in natural resources, and the potential for exploitation of these resources has regularly played a role in area conflicts. Natural resource extraction poses a significant threat for Africa's great apes, as well, whose forested habitats are being degraded and diminished over time. "Today's great apes are under threat not only from habitat destruction and fragmentation, but also poaching, the risk of disease transfer from humans, and the pet trade," Dupain explained. "Even without conflict and war, Africa's apes are struggling for survival." Africa is home to four of the world's five great apes. All four--which include the eastern gorilla, of which the mountain gorilla is a subspecies, western gorilla, bonobo, and common chimpanzee--are either endangered or critically endangered. In an effort to provide greater protections to great apes and their habitats across Central and West Africa, AWF recently launched the African Apes Initiative. The initiative leverages the organization's three decades of experience in mountain gorilla and bonobo conservation to build capacity among protected area authorities, strengthen monitoring of protected areas, provide much-needed equipment for rangers, and increase community engagement in conservation.

Source: Earthtimes.orgBy Colin RickettsIt is only the gorillas that are endangered, but the way that David Attenborough puts his case may well ensure a much better future for the strife-torn areas of Central Africa and the gorillas within them. David will never be in danger of losing his place in our hearts as the ultimate animal advocate. Poachers and war are giving way to dedicated rangers in the Virunga area, but young Gorilla gorilla beringei are still stolen to sell and adults are needed for bushmeat. Local people are also encroaching on the Park as they use the forests resources. The Congolese Conservation Authority is the ICCN. They run the Senkwekwe Orphan mountain gorilla Center in Virunga National Park because so many mothers are killed in crossfire during the skirmishes. Victims of war in gorillas and humans, quite naturally, have the same needs and reactions, so wardens bring the young up themselves as children. Andre Bauma is one such ranger: Gorillas have something in their soul very close to humans. As the father of a pair of adopted female mountain gorillas, he reports, to lose them would be to lose a part of ourselves. Instead, they have lost at least 130 rangers, who have been shot dead by rebel fighters with far superior firepower within their National Park. The urgent need is to raise some money by 11th December to raise the profile of the gorillas situation, help those rangers, and enable Fauna and Flora International to act. David Attenborough has given his name to the crowdfunding campaign in Flora and Fauna International. There are 700 animals left in only 2 major National Parks. The other is in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park of Uganda. Since Attenboroughs famed meeting with the gorilla family in 1978, there have been many celebrity visits and these are necessary to promote the cause. Our close genetic relatives are almost extinct. Without such species, it could be that we lose contact completely with the true nature of the earth and life itself.

The first findings of a project that aims to help low-income communities benefit more from living near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where conservation priorities can impose limits on their livelihoods has dispelled perceptions that poor people who live closer to the park pose a danger to wildlife conservation efforts. Researchers from the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) alongside other partners who met in Kampala from Sept. 17-18 noted that there are complex links between poverty and threats to wildlife. The project has found that while poverty often compels people to gather resources illegally from the park, the poorer villagers were likely to collect minor forest products such as firewood. In comparison, the bushmeat hunters - who pose a greater threat to conservation - were amongst the wealthier members of their communities. "The common assumption - that poverty drives people to use resources illegally - is over-simple," says project coordinator Andy Gordon-Maclean, a researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development. "The links between poverty and threats to wild species are more complex and it is critical that conservationists understand this." Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to 400 of the world's total population of 900 mountain gorillas and tourists pay US $ 500 for a chance to see these apes. Therefore the potential for local people to benefit is clear. More....